This blog has been set up by Our Savior's Lutheran Church, West Bend, WI, to host postings of email updates from David and Nancy Slinde who are volunteering in El Salvador on behalf of Our Savior's, The Greater Milwaukee Synod of the ELCA, and Rotary International (among others).

David and Nancy Slinde Speaking at their "Sending Service"

Saturday, May 21, 2016

It’s the 2016 planting season. Wisconsin’s farm conditions are good as the
ground is moist and the corn crop is 50% planted statewide.

Two weeks ago our Salvadoran project partners wrote to us
advising that it hasn’t rained in their community in 6 months. Wells that supply drinking water to homes are
drying up and the government is providing water to some communities from tanker
trucks. The drought that is being experienced in parts of El Salvador was
forecasted and there is no relief predicted until July. That’s cutting into 60 days of what should be
the growing season.

If the rains materialize later in the season, the
hilly/mountain terrain and years of deforestation prevent the moisture from
soaking into the water table. The
overall moisture situation is very fragile.

The government continues to import grains to keep the prices
in the market stable. The prices are
actually below last year’s prices according to FEWS. Without government action to stabilize the
price of commodities in the market place, the threat of civil unrest is a very
real concern.

With food scarce anyone having produce to sell would be in a
favorable position but not in El Salvador.
While our agriculture projects have benefited hundreds of families, the
final phase of the agriculture project was to take marketing of the crops to
the next level. Initial plans were to
secure commitments from the families for the quantity of products they could
deliver on a weekly basis. They would
bring their products to a distribution center and be paid. Sellers (in the market) would purchase the
produce from the distribution center and sell from stands our partner would
establish. Everyone in this system would be under contact. The sellers would keep the revenue from sales
and this market plan would have created more jobs.

We had to abandon this plan due to the extreme violence that
is currently taking place. No one is
safe. Women shopping in the market, shop
keepers, students, taxi and/or bus drivers and pastors, everyone is at risk of
extortion, death threats or cross fire from the gangs.

Our project partners are no exception. The gang visited their offices and demanded
extortion money. They had to make a
payment or risk death. After the gang
left, they gathered the employees and had a frank discussion that the office
was closing due to the imminent danger.
The employees responded that without work, they would be better off dead,
so they continued to work to train and support the rural farmers.

Later in the month the offices were broken into on a weekend
and all electronic equipment was stolen.
The office is surrounded by residential homes, why didn’t someone call
the police? You need to live in El
Salvador to understand the culture and their society. It’s not as simple as ours.

After a difficult 6 months, our project partners are
re-thinking what they can do in this war like environment. They have to create
a safer environment for their employees.
This means moving the office to a more secure location. Next they can no longer work in the field;
they will need to work in a protected environment like a training center.

For our project partners who have dedicated the last 20
years of their life’s work to benefit others this is a heart break. We grieve with them as they make difficult
decisions for their future and the futures of those they have worked alongside.